The Ultimate Resume Guide for Every Job Seeker

The Ultimate Resume Guide for Every Job SeekerRemember that old song by Destinys Child, Skills, Skills, Skills? Oh, wait, that was Bills, Bills, Bills. Still, you can still use that old tune to remind you that skills are the beating heart of your resume. Work experience and your network are essential to get you to the next step, as is a solid interview performance, but skills are what get you hired. Think of them as a kind of currency you collect them along the way, and trade them to employers in exchange for experience and mora skills to add to your wealth. Theyre also something that affects every level of job seeker, from the least-experienced folks just starting out to those who have many years in the trenches and are looking for a new job. No matter who you are, you can always find new and better ways to build and showcase your skills to take advantage of new opportunities. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) 1. Which Skills Belong On Yo ur Resume?2. The Newbie Applicant3. The Changing CareersApplicant4. The Paused Career Applicant5. The Promotion Seeker via ImgurWhich Skills Belong On Your Resume?Skills can seem like an abstract concept. We hear about social skills, communication skills, job skills, sports skills. On the most basic level, skills answer the question, What am I good at doing? or What are my competencies? In the context of the resume, we get more selective and focus almost entirely on the schriftarts of skill areas that help you do your jobCommunication skills How you convey needs and results to colleagues or clients, or how you present yourself in writing and in personProblem solving skills How you approach challenges in the workplaceOrganization skills How you structure your tasks, and set up the resources you need to do themTechnical skillsHow you use tools (like specific equipment, programs, or processes) to do your jobInterpersonal skills How you interact with bosses, colleagues, team membersHar d Skills vs. Soft SkillsHard skills are those that are easily quantifiable, and can be learned formally. Some examplesSoftware training or competency (like Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Office, InDesign, SalesTracker)Program certificationsComputer programmingForeign language fluencyTyping (words per minute)Hard skills are important because they show immediately what you can do. If you have training in Photoshop or other photo editing software, that tells the resume reader that you have a very specific area of expertise. Hard skills are ones that can be developed fairly easily, though tutorials, classes/education programs, or practice.RELATED13 Skills You Need to Put on Your Resume Soft skills are those that are a little more subjective and open to interpretationbut dont be fooled into thinking theyre less important Some examplesCommunicationWork ethicProblem solvingTeamworkOrganizationMultitaskingAdaptabilityCreativitySoft skills are harder to pick up they tend to come more through exp erience and personality instead of a class or tutorial. However, soft skills are gaining more traction in the job hund world, as hiring managers look for personalities that will mesh well in their work environment. This is not to discount the importance of experience and hard skillsbut recruiters and others are turning more and more to the less quantifiable strengths (sometimes referred to as emotional intelligence) that suggest a well-rounded candidate.So which set of skills reigns supreme? Well, neitherand both. The best resume will have a strong showing in both categories, so youll need to find a balance between them. The important thing to remember is that your resume should play to the strengths required by the job youre seeking. If youre applying for a job that has a heavy computer programming focus, emphasize that on your resume, but also make sure to include bullet points about how your softer skills stab und sttze that hard skill. The way you use these skills on your resum e may also be affected by what kind of goal youre hoping to achieve in your job hunt. If youre a non-traditional candidate (entry-level, applying for jobs after a break, or already employed), the best format for you is likely a skill-based resume over the traditional reverse-chronological format. Lets walk through different job seeker scenarios to see what would be the best way to use your skills on your resume.The Newbie ApplicantIf youre just entering the workforce, creating a resume can be really tough. How do you fill in that page when you dont yet have much experience? This is where skills become especially importantbecause you may not have work experience yet, but you definitely have skills. Its just a matter of framing those in a hire me way. Through your classes and activities, you likely picked up experience in aufgabe solving, or teamwork, running meetings, or communicating with others. These may not fall under the heading of work experience per se, but dont count out your skills just because you havent been paid for them (yet).RELATED10 Biggest Job Search Mistakes of New College GradsAccording to The Muse, there are many soft skills that you may have picked up along the way without even realizing it, includingAnalytical skillsTeaching classesEditing publicationsDramatizing ideas of problemsOrganizing people and tasksRaising fundsCommunicationMotivating othersSetting up demonstrationsAdvising people writing reportsCoordinating eventsMeeting the publicCustomer ServiceFinding informationManaging your own timeBookkeepingCounseling peopleInterviewing peopleProblem solverSchedulingEnduring long hoursIncreasing productivitySelling productsEscorting VIPs on toursInventing new ideasOffice managementInvestigating problemsDisplaying ideas graphicallyHandling complaintsPersuading othersUpdating filesAdministering programsDelegating responsibilityAnalyzing dataArranging social functionsAdvertising/promoting eventsSpeaking in publicEvaluating programsProposing al ternate approachesConfronting other peopleCorresponding with othersInterpreting languagesListening to othersEntertaining peoplePreparing materialsManaging an organizationDispensing informationWorking under pressureHandling detail workSketching charts and diagramsWorking collaboratively with people with different backgroundsImagining new solutionsPlanning organizational needsMaking decisions with incomplete informationSupervising othersCollecting moneyRunning meetingsCompiling statistics And dont forget personal skills as wellthose can show potential employers what kind of employee youd be. Prized personal skills include punctuality, flexibility (think adaptable, not gymnast), responsibility, persistence, and creativity. The best way to use those on your resume is to tailor the document to the job description for which youre applying, and come up with examples (bullet points) of those skills that match the job. After all, the hiring managers will understand that youre fresh on the jo b scene, experience-wise, but you want to help them understand how youre already well equipped for that next step into the career world. Your career path might be a blank slate at this point, but youre not.The Changing CareersApplicantA similar scenario is someone whos changing careers, or shifting lanes within an industry. If youve decided to pull a career switcheroo and pursue a different type of job from the ones youve already held, experience can be as much as an issue as it is when youre just starting out.RELATED 6 Things You Must Know About Changing Career In that case, a skills-based resume could help ease that transition. In this kind of resume, you put a hefty Skills section front and center, followed by an abbreviated work history sectiontailored to the highlights you can most easily apply to your potential new job/industry. You can also skip bulleted points, and just include company names, position titles, and dates. Definitely include any volunteer experience or internsh ips, classes, etc. that pertain to your hoped-for job. On a traditional chronological resume for an experienced employee, youd likely skip those (unless directly relevant to your job), but here youre aiming for flexibility and the transferability of skills you already have.The Paused Career ApplicantResume gaps can occur for a lot of different reasons job loss + challenging hiring landscape, personal issues, maternity/paternity/family leave, etc. Whatever the reasons, your skills can be recruited to help ease the frustration of experience/work history gaps on your resume. The most important thing to remember is that this isnt necessarily a dealbreaker you just need to do a little extra work and tailoring to show that the gaps dont define your career path or goals. The skills-based resume is a good option for you as well. You want to emphasize that regardless of your experience, you have the tools necessary to be a great employee.RELATED6 Ways to Handle Employment Gaps on Your Resume For your skills-based resume, its extra important to customize your resume for the individual job description. Youll need to be able to a) get your resume seen by someone who might be screening for more experience or whos currently working in the field and b) convince the reader that hmm, this person may have a gap, but s/hes got experience and the right skills, if not doing it currently. Before applying, do your researchWhich tasks/skills are specifically outlined in the job description?What background information can you find about the companys values? (Company websites often have mission statements, or brief summaries of the companys values and goals.)Does anyone in your network work at this company? If so, the benefits are twofold this person could help get your resume in the right inbox, but he or she could also give you some insight into what the companys culture is like, and what qualities would be most welcomed.Once you have as much info as you can find, tailor your Skills b ullets. For the work history, you can keep the position info brief and as vague as you darejust know that if you dont include dates or company names, it could be either a red flag to a reader, or lead to specific questions about it in an interview. Its okay to be honest about gaps and employment datesjust be prepared to speak to why, then pivot the conversation about how youre ready for the opportunity at hand.The Promotion SeekerIf youre seeking an advancement where you already are, your case is a little different from the resume builders mentioned aboveyoure already in, you just want to go up. In that case, it can be easy to dismiss the need for a resume at all. After all, they already know you, right? Not so fast.RELATED7 Workplace Tips For Getting a PromotionThe resume can be a great way to reintroduce yourself, the you that has picked up skills and experience (and maybe even awards or professional certifications) along the way. Your old resume is likely picking up dust (literal ly or digitally) somewhere in HRs files. No ones likely to dig it up to give you the promotion you deserve, so take the initiative to update your resume and show why you deserve a promotion or raise. This has the added benefit of your experience back when you applied, you probably framed your resume based on what you thought would apply to the job. Now you know what applies to the job, because youve been doing it. You can refine skills that are directly relevant, and weed out ones that never really applied to your day-to-day. You can also add specific examples and achievements from your time at the company.The skills-based resume is a good format for a promotion because your work history is less crucial here. They know where youve beenright in cubicle C. Its good to keep the abbreviated work history section in there, just to give the powers that be a reminder of your path to your current positionbut the spotlight should really be on the skills you have, and have built in your curren t job.If youre looking for a raise, emphasize skills that show you going above and beyond your basic job description. If youre looking to move into a more senior position, emphasize your leadership and management skills. Again, you have the benefit of inside information about the job and the company, so use that to tailor the heck out of your resume. Dont just brush off your old resume filestart from scratch and think deeply about what skill areas you want to emphasize.Skills, Skills, SkillsSkills are one of the most effective tools you have in shaping your career narrative. Names, dates, and titles only go so far in telling a hiring manager what you can do. No matter where you are in your career, crafting a resume that makes your skills shine could be the key to your next big opportunity.